so my block needs to be cleaned and a bunch of people have told me to take it to a do it yourself car wash. what is the correct way to do this? my block just looks a bit greasy on the outside, the inside is clean as can be.......and what do i do to try it real good so it doesnt rust before i get home. thanks.

is it assembled?

To protect it, spray it down with WD40 immediatly after the wash.

it is not assembled. it is just the block, without the crank. im going to paint it when its assembled, so i was told by a couple people on this site to wash it at the car wash(that way they can deal with the mess!)

you'll need to clean out the inside again (you were going to do that anyway, right? Using brake cleaner, rifle brushes, soap, water, etc?) but that's not a bad way to go. A power washer at home in the front yard can work too, but yeah, make sure anything you don't want splattered with grease is beyond the "blast radius"!!!

If you can, try to soak the block a few days at home before you take it to the coin-op. Spray it with degreaser, spray it again whenever you think about it for a few days. Keep the block in trash bags (three or four thick) so that it doesn't evaporate easy but instead soaks into the gunk on the block.

Take along a few good stiff brushes, some auto parts store "engine cleaner", and when you get to the coin-op pull it out of the pickup (with a buddy) and put it on the ground- you might find it easier if the bellhousing end is against the ground.

Hose it down good with the degreaser, brush it good with the brushes, and hose it clean with the power washer. It's a messy job but it works OK.

you better go to car wash real late at night .....if the owner catchs you you will be on the hook for a clean up....

hehehe, I remember thinking that when I was cleaning out my old 9" pig. He has a point, go whenever they're not around and watching close, it's a messy job!

my engine actually isnt all too bad, probably no worse than cleaning a dirty car, its just not paint ready yet. so do i need to dry it with paper towels before i wd40 it? or just spray it down and let it be? and do i only need to spray the inside with the wd40? this is my first time doing all this so im just trying to make sure i do it right, thanks guys for being patient with a newbie.

There are a bunch of oil passages that require cleaning and blowing out with compressed air once you;re done or they will rust. Once you get the engine running some of that rust will flake off and go through your bearings.
My shop will wash a block in our powerwasher (basically a big dishwasher) rinse it off and blow it out with compressed air for a nominal fee, and you don't have to deal with the rust issue. You should call around to the local machine shops to price check, it will likely be worth the added expense to avoid the hassle of rolling the block all over the ground and ending up being soaked and dirtier than the block is, with no compressed air to dry it off. Paper towel is the worst thing to use on a block, with all the coarse surfaces it will tear up the towels and some of that material will remain on the block, ending up in your oil filter. my .02¢

oh, i didnt know that, i was always told use paper towels because they are able to dissolve in the oil and not cause problems. yea, i might end up just taking it to an engine shop anyways to get assembled, so if i do that, ill just let them take care of the cleaning/painting.

go to the 99 cent store get some oven cleaner let it soak over night after you wash it use wd40. I used wheel bearing grease and coated the cylinders mains and lifter bores after 5 years sitting the block bare metal is rust free

+1 on the easy-off oven cleaner. Just don't let the wife catch you stealing her chems from under the sink. Small parts such as intake manifold, rocker covers etc fit right into the dish washer, use a full load of Cascade and the HOT water clean and rinse. Does a nice job of cleaning and degreasing. Oh, that's another thing you probably don't want to let the wife catch you doing.

haha, luckily i only need to clean the block, all the rest of the parts are brand spanking new. oh my god my fiance would kill me if i put car parts in the dishwasher, haha. she already hates that the basement looks like an ebay store with all my parts in the basement, if i were to put a greasy car part in her kitchen, i might just die/be killed.

wow, remind me to not eat dinner at Marv's...

I'd be honored to have him wrench for me though!

The dishwasher is also a good way to clean your sweaty/stinky helmets. A few years riding motorcycles and you have to do something!